Munich  - Several leading Italian clubs are interested in signing Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger, but club manager Uli Hoeness said Thursday he was confident of keeping the midfielder at the German champions.

The 24-year-old Germany international's current contract expires at the end of the season and Hoeness said Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus had shown an interest in the player.

However Hoeness said Bayern "would come up with something" to keep Schweinsteiger at the club he has played for since joining as a youth team player.

Hoeness said Bayern would also be offering midfielder Ze Roberto a new contract although the 34-year-old Brazilian has said he wants to leave at the end of the season.

"Ze is a very emotional person and will make a contract extension subject to the way he is feeling. If that fits, the negotiations will last just seven minutes," Hoeness said.

The Bayern manager was again critical of Lukas Podolski, who has shone for Germany but is still unable to command a first-team place at Bayern.

Hoeness said the striker had failed to take the chance offered by the injury to Italy striker Luca Toni.

"Poldi has been highly praised and then himself thinks he is great, but when you score two goals against Liechtenstein it means nothing. A third division team looks good there," he said.

Hoeness has meanwhile agreed with coach Juergen Klinsmann that promoted Hoffenheim - currently top of the Bundesliga - will be title contenders this season.

Hoffenheim will not be "one-day wonders" like Kaiserslautern, who won the league title in 1998 after gaining promotion, but have since returned to the second division.

"Hoffenheim will establish themselves among the Bundesliga leaders and be playing for the title," he said.

Klinsmann predicted earlier this week that Hoffenheim would finish in the top five and be "genuine rivals and contenders for the title."

"Right at the start of the season, before a ball had been kicked, I said Hoffenheim were contenders for a place in Europe at the minimum," he told Bayern internet television FCB. tv.

"Their team has been meticulously put together according to a solid strategic plan, and they'll go a long way ... No one expects miracles from their players, so they're good for surprise after surprise every week," he said. (dpa)